Balzan Prize

The International Balzan Prize Foundation gives out four big prizes each year. These prizes go to people or organizations who have done amazing work. The prizes are for big achievements in areas like humanities, natural sciences, culture, and working for peace and friendship among all people.

These prizes help to show and support the best ideas and actions from around the world. They show how important it is to make the world better through learning, science, art, and helping others live together peacefully. Many important discoveries and creations have been recognized with these prizes, encouraging more people to work hard and make a difference.

History

The Balzan Prize was created thanks to the assets of Eugenio Balzan, an Italian businessman who moved his money to Switzerland to protest against unfair laws. He left his inheritance to his daughter, Angela Lina Balzan, who planned to start a foundation before she passed away.

The first Balzan Prize was given in 1961, a large award to the Nobel Foundation. After a long break, prizes started again in 1978 with an award to Mother Teresa. Prize ceremonies are held in either Bern or Rome, and many winners have later also won Nobel Prizes.

Procedure

The Balzan Prize is given each year to people or groups who have done amazing work. A group of twenty important experts from Europe decides who will get the prizes. Every year, the foundation picks which areas will be honored with prizes and decides how much money each winner will receive. Usually, this information is shared in May, and the winners are announced in September of the next year.

Rewards and assets

Since 2001, the prize money for the Balzan Prize has grown to 1 million Swiss Francs for each award. Winners must use half of this money to support projects with young researchers.

By 2017, the amount for each of the four Balzan Prizes was set to 750,000 Swiss francs, which is about €760,000, $750,000, or £660,000.

Categories

Every year, four special awards are given out for amazing work in different areas like books, art, science, and helping people get along. These awards started in 1978 and change each year to focus on new and exciting topics. They look at more than just the usual subjects, celebrating fresh ideas and discoveries.

Sometimes, every few years, there is also a special award for making the world a better place and helping everyone live together in peace. The last time this special award was given was in 2014 to a group called Vivre en Famille.

Recipients

Main article: List of Balzan Prize recipients

The Balzan Prize is given each year to people or groups who have done amazing work in fields like humanities, natural sciences, culture, and efforts to promote peace and friendship among people. You can find a full list of these award winners if you're interested.